RF Online - NA and Europe to Close

It is with much sadness that today we announce our intention to close the European and North American RF Online game servers operated by Codemasters.

Our licence for RF Online is due to expire shortly and unfortunately, despite several weeks of negotiations with CCR, the Korean developers of the title, we have not been able to reach an agreement to renew the contract.

This means that Codemasters will no longer have the right to operate the service in the Western territories it currently provides service in and therefore we are obliged to shut down all associated game services before the licence expires.

The last full day of service will be 9th November, 2008. All RF Online world servers will shut down on the morning of Monday 10th November, UK time.

The purchase of credits is now no longer available to ensure all players have the opportunity to spend their remaining Novus credits in game. Likewise, the creation of new RF Online game accounts/subscriptions is now disabled. For further information, please see our RF Online Closing Down FAQ in the forums.

RF Online was Codemasters Online's first MMO service and we have been very proud of its development and success during its three years of existence. It was also one of the first Eastern-style MMORPGs to ever make it to Western market and do well and it's with much fondness that we look back and remember these achievements.

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who declared their allegiance and gave us their support with RF Online over the past few years and especially, to thank all the players who spent countless hours with us in Novus.

Gosh MMORPG closings are sad. So much time and work down the drain. I mean, in a very real sense, all the time you spend playing a game like that is wasted ANYWAY, but there is a certain very hard-earned satisfaction in having a powerful, rich, and/or popular character. And just like that you can find out it's going away forever in 30 days.

I don't know if it's sadder than the fact that we spend hundreds of hours a year alone in front of these screens fooling around in virtual worlds, but when you put the two together, it's enough to make you cry for your wasted life.

Also, I think robots are cool. I didn't get into RF, but I hope they come out with another one like this.

Wasted? WASTED?? <smack> The play is the thing, man! What do you get for climbing a mountain? A cheap photograph, if you remember to take it. What do you get for playing an MMO for hundreds of hours? Same thing. If you want to have something to show for your work, put in overtime at a real job. If you want to actually have fun with life, play some games.

Though that does remind me - take screenshots, folks! Make sure you get all the people you play with regularly. Stick'm somewhere safe on your hard drive or better yet, burn them to a DVD or two. They are great fun to look at years later.